The latest on Sanctions!!

In a remarkable escalation of events, the Council of the European Union announced the imposition of new sanctions on six individuals in Sudan, including the Commander of the Army Air Forces, the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces in West Darfur, and the Secretary-General of the Islamic Movement.

In a statement, the Council accused those subject to the sanctions of being “Responsible for activities that undermine the stability and political transition” in Sudan, where fighting is still ongoing between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

According to the “Al-Sharq” website, the new sanctions included the Commander of the Army Air Forces, Major-General Staff Pilot, Al-Tahir Mohammed Al-Awad Al-Amin, as well as another official, accusing them of bearing responsibility for what the statement described as “Indiscriminate aerial bombardment of densely populated residential areas since the beginning of the conflict.”

The sanctions also included the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces in West Darfur, Major-General Abdel Rahman Jumaa, in addition to the Forces’ financial advisor.

Among the individuals who were included as well in the sanctions was Ali Ahmed Karti, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Omar al-Bashir and the Secretary-General of the Islamic Movement in Sudan, which is a rather new development.

It is true that the US Department of the Treasury (USDT) had issued a decision to impose sanctions on the Secretary-General of the Islamic Movement in Sudan, Ali Karti, but the impact of the European Union Council’s decision is stronger because it came in the wake of a meeting that included officials from the European Union in Cairo. This, if anything, indicates a shift in the Europeans’ convictions that the National Congress Party and its ally, the Islamic Movement cannot be part of the solution or any upcoming political process.

The second message is that the International Community has become unanimous in their belief that the Islamic Movement is a third party in the ongoing war, and this subsequently intensities the restrictions on it internationally, reduces its control over the Army’s decision, and paves the way for direct sanctions to be imposed on its leaders if they insist on moving forward with mobilization and incitement to jihad to prolong the war.

These sanctions will draw the attention of the Army’s allies to the fact that the Islamic Movement is no longer desirable, and certainly a country like Egypt won’t bet on Sudan’s Islamists in exchange for losing its relations with America, the European Union as well as the United Arab Emirates. Thus it will naturally be moved to place significant pressure on its allies in the Army to reiterate the need to reach an agreement that ends the war chapter as quickly as possible.

These sanctions also coincide with the Saudi government’s expanding efforts to pursue all elements supporting the war advocates who cursed the Kingdom and its kings, which began with the Saudi authorities’ expulsion of the Emir of Al-Bara’ ibn Malik Brigade from its territory.

It is rather been made clear that international interest in the issue of the war in Sudan is at stake. The set of measures that will be taken by the African Peace and Security Council will find approval from the African Union, the European Union, as well as America and Russia won’t object to them. Thus, we have reached the peak stage and the solution will be achieved soon..!!

Quoted from AL-Jareeda newspaper